I'm a longtime fan of Dermalogica, so when I recently popped into the Dermalogica Skin Bar in SoHo and was offered a signature Face Mapping skin analysis, of course I said yes.

My skin therapist Nikki looked at my face with a magnifying lens and then gently touched and lifted the skin in each of the 14 "zones" to determine the areas where I needed specific help.

Turns out I have congestion (AKA pimples) in zones 13 and 11 (outer chin -- my constant trouble area) which Nikki says could be from stress or from dirty pillow cases. Ew!

I have dehydration in zones 8 and 6 (around my eyes) which peaked my interest because I don't want it to lead to wrinkles.

For the clogged pores she recommended Daily Resurfacer which is a jar of pads pre-soaked in salicylic acid to clear out the gunk. I was like, yeah whatever, nothing ever works on my stubborn chin zits.

Three days later I felt like a jerk when all my clogged pores disappeared. Score one for Nikki.

She also told me to spray Multi-Active Toner on my face before I applied moisturizer because of the hydrating aloe, and she said that I'll end up using 50% less moisturizer.

I've heard this tip before and always thought it was bogus. In the past I've sprayed my face with fancy water sprays and then applied cream right on top to "seal in moisture" and it never worked. It just felt like I was smearing water all over my face for no reason and in the end my skin would still feel dry.

But holy smokes! I've been dutifully spritzing my face with the Multi-Active Toner day and night before I put on moisturizer and my skin --including my eye area -- looks and feels plump, dewy and hydrated. This tip alone might just save me from a Northeast winter season filled with flaky parched skin.

Score two for Nikki.

Between these additions to my beauty regimen and the Caudalie Premier Cru Anti-Aging Cream, things are looking up for my face.